Cricket-wounded Black Caps Allen, Conway on course for T20 World Cup

New Zealand coach Gary Stead is confident he has a fully fit squad when the team heads to the Caribbean for the Twenty20 World Cup next month, with Finn Allen and Devon Conway making good progress in their recovery from injuries. Explosive opener Allen missed the T20 series in Pakistan last month with a back injury, while batsman Conway underwent surgery for a thumb fracture sustained in February and has been unable to play any role in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

“Finn Allen is behind us in the nets here at the moment, so he’s following it well,” Stead told reporters at the team’s training camp in Mount Maunganui on Thursday. “He still has a bit of pain in his back, but our plan this week is to develop them further and put more intensity into his training every day.

“Devon is still with the IPL and he is following it well. He is regularly wicket-keeping and batting in the nets. ‘He will be back home at the end of the week. We’ll take a look at him early next week and make sure he’s good to go.”

New Zealand have not played any warm-up matches before their Group C World Cup opener against Afghanistan in Georgetown, Guyana on June 7. Stead said the squad has been training on three different surfaces at Bay Oval to prepare for the varying conditions they will encounter. in the Caribbean and he felt most of the squad had played enough cricket.

“There are a number of guys who have been in the IPL for the last two months and we also recently returned from the tour to Pakistan,” he added. “There’s a lot of experience in the group, having played in the Caribbean Premier League before, so we’ll lean on those guys and make sure the training we get ahead of the first game gets us where we want to be.”

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